Facsimile-telegraph.



P. DE-BERNOGHI.

FAGSIMILE TELEGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1911 1,069,535. Patented Aug". 5, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

F. DB-BERNOOHI.

FAGSIMILE TELEGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1911.

Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIOE.

FRANCESCO DE-BERNOCI-II, OF TURIN, ITALY.

FACSIMILE-TELEGRAPH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCESCO DID-BER- Noorrr, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Turin, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Facsimile-Telegraphs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention has for its object the wireless transmission of pictures, hand writing, &c., and to reproduce them at a distant station, and consists of certain details of construction of mechanism for accomplishing said transmission, as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are similarly designated-Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the sending apparatus, at a sen-ding station. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the receiving apparatus at a distant receiving station. Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, modifications of the apparatus at the sending and receiving stations. Fig. 5 is an elevation, and Fig. 6 is a plan of a modified form of transcribing apparatus at the receiving station.

The image 1, to be transmitted, (Fig. 1) is traced by means of an insulating ink (preferably composed of insulating quickly drying lacs. or varnishes) either on the metallic drum 2, or upon a metallic sheet wrapped around the drum and kept in contact therewith. The drum is preferably made in one piece with the threaded shaft 3, mounted in a bracket 4, said drum consequently having helical motion when the shaft 3 is turned in the direction of the arrow by a pulley 5 thereon. The contact member is constituted by a metallic roller 6, placed at the end of a fiat spring 7 which urges the roller 6 against the surface of the drum 2 upon which the image 1 is traced.

A local electric circuit containing, in series, a source of current 8, and a magnet 9, terminates respectively at terminals 7' and 4 of the spring 7 and of the bracket 4.

The arrangement for generating the electric waves for effecting the transmission is of the ordinary type, say: composed of a.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 23, 1911.

Patented Aug. 5, 1913. Serial No. 616,481.

transformer 10 in the primary circuit of which are a source of current 11 and an interrupter 12, while the secondary circuit thereof contains the oscillator 13, one of the ends of which is connected to the antenna 14 and the other is grounded. In the pres ent invention this is done through an armature 9 of the electromagnet 9, said armature contacting, when the magnet 9 is en ergized, with the contact 15 grounded at 16.

From the above it is evident that when the drum2 is subject to the above-mentioned helical motion, the different portions of the image 1, to be transmitted, successively pass under the roller 6, thus causing an interruption in the local circuit and a de'nergizing of the magnet 9. This circuit usually is closed through the roller 6, the metal of the drum 2 and its bracket 4. During the said interruptions the armature falls again to its position of rest Fig. 1, and the transmission of electric waves is interrupted because the antenna becomes insulated from the earth. The contrary fact would evidently happen if the transmission of the waves took place when the various portions of the image pass under the roller 6, which can be done by connecting the ground wire with the other contact 17, instead of with the one 15. Whatever the employed arrangement may be, the transmission of images and their reproduction at the receiving station take place in the same way.

It is convenient to note here that the substantial characteristics of the transmission apparatus illustrated consist in the fact that the arrangement for generating the electric waves destined to the transmission is not started at the moment when the different portions of the image to be transmitted pass under the roller, 6, but such generating arrangement is kept working constant-1y, thus maintaining the greatest regularity of its operation, the transmission apparatus merely causing at the required moment, the emission of the electric waves by connecting the antenna with the earth.

The receiving station, Fig. 2, is composed of the antenna 18 grounded at 19, through a wave detector or coherer 20, to the terminals of which is connected, in derivation, the local circuit at the receiving station containing a source of current 21 and the electro-magnet 22, the armature 22 of which contacts in its positions of rest and of working, respectively, against the contacts 23, 24:,

.jection 36 on the bracket 37. The said lever 32 is fitted at its front with a reproducing roller 38 in contact with an inking cylinder 39 also mounted on lever 32. When the os cillating lever 32 is down under the action of the electro-magnet 29, the roller 38 contacts with a sheet, preferably of paper, held on the drum 410. This drum 40 is preferably in one piece with the threaded shaft 41 that is mounted in the bracket 42, and receives, through the pulley 43, a movement which is synchronous with the drum 2, Fig. 1.

From the above the working of the receiving device will be readily understood. In fact, as long as the roller 6 at the transmitting station remains in contact with the metallic surface of drum 2, electric waves are continually sent out by the antenna lt and received by the antenna 18. The wave detector or coherer 20 remaining conducting, allows the passage of the current from battery 21, and consequently the magnet remains energized and holds armature 22 against the contact 24. In consequence of the position of the switch 27, the local circuit of the elect-ro-magnet 29 of the reproducing mechanism will be open. lVhen the parts of the image 1 at the transmitting station pass under the roller 6, the transmission of waves stops; the Wave detector or coherer 20, at the receiving station prevents the passage of current through the magnet 22, the armature 22 of which falls again on the contact 23. The local receiving circuit is then closed through the electro-magnet 29, that acts on the armature 31 in such a way that the reproducing roller 38 will trace on the sheet on drum 40 a line corresponding in position and length to that portion of the image 1 which is being traversed by the roller 6 at the transmitting station. If the drum 40 continues its movement, a positive image 1 is then obtained on the recording sheet, identical with the image 1 at {he sending station and formed by parallel mes.

It is evident that if the switch 27 is brought from the position shown in Fig. 2, to the dotted position on said figure, the recording apparatus will work when the electric waves reach the antenna 18, and an image like that 1 of the transmitting station will still be obtained, but a negative image.

For the purpose of increasing the sensibility of the whole of the arrangement, it is preferable to employ, for transmission as well as for reception, a mercury galvanometric relay, instead of the relays 9, 22, the former being far more sensitive, and is schematically shown at Fig. 3 as applied to the mechanism of Fig. 1. In this case the equivalent of the relay or magnet comprises the movable set 14 of an ordinary galvanometer provided with a bent metallic projection 15, electrically connected, (for instance near the mirror 46 which generally forms a part of said set) with the suspension wire of such a set. The said projection 45, when the set 14: is displaced, comes into contact (see dotted position) with a drop of mercury 15 (acting as the contact 15 of Fig. 1), placed in a cavity of a conducting plate 15". This drop forms a slight projection, with its curved upper surface above the plate 15", which is grounded at 16. the case of the receiving station, the said galvanometric relay has the form shown in Fig. 4:, 2'. 6., there are two drops of mercury, 23, 2 1 (the equivalent of contacts 23, 2 1, Fig. 2) borne by the two metallic plates 25, 26, with either of which the switch 27 may be brought into contact.

The recording apparatus schematically represented by Fig. 2, is preferably constructed in the modified form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which differs from the preceding form in that the inking cylinder 39 is, in this case, put into continuous rotation by means of a clock-work contained in a box 17 on lever 32, and transmits movement to said cylinder 39 by means of toothed wheels 48. This is for the purpose of providing for the continuous feed of ink to the roller 38, which is indispensable in order to obtain a good reproduction. Another characteristic of the form as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is that the wave detector 20 is arranged on the oscillating lever 32 for the purpose of automatically obtaining the de-coherence of the said detector at each movement of the lever.

IVhen the transmission is efiected through a wire it is evident that it is sufiicient, at the transmitting station (Fig. 1), to replace the oscillator 13 by a source of current, and to suppress, at the receiving station (Fig. 2), the wave detector 20 and the battery 21. In this case the wires 1a, 18 repre sent the extremities of departure and arrival of the line.

I claim- 1. In a facsimile telegraph the combination with a transmitting surface having insulating and conducting parts; a contact arranged to trail 011 said surface, and means to impart relative motion between the con tact and surface; of a translating device, a local circuit including said contact surface and device, an oscillating circuit, a grounded terminal for said circuit and means operated by the translating device to open and close the oscillating circuit to said grounded terminal.

2. In a fac-simile telegraph, a deflecting galvanometer, a local circuit passing through the galvanometer, a conducting arm on the galvanometer, a grounded mercury terminal in the path of said arm and an os cillating circuit grounded through the terminal by said arm when the latter contacts therewith.

3. In a fac-simile telegraph, means for sending electric waves in accordance with the fac-simile to be produced, a receiver, a local circuitfor said receiver, a pair of contacts, means to connect either contact in circuit, a contact arm connected to the local circuit and means controlled by the electric waves to move said arm between said contacts, said connecting means permitting the received fac-simile to be either a positive or a negative.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCESCO DE-BERNOOHI.

lVit-nesses FRANCESCO SIMON, J OOELYN GANBEYNEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

